Blogs

Jeter's Next Big Swing

"I don't miss playings," says the retired Yankee, as the press-shy captain leads website The Players' Tribune, where DeAndre Jordan and Tiger Woods break news (sorry, ESPN) and backers are betting on a media home run

Never Miss A Story.

Daily PDF

'G.I. Joe' Reports for Duty on Amazon's Kindle Worlds

Hasbro

The long-lasting Hasbro toy franchise is one of many new licenses added to Amazon's fan-fiction digital publishing program.

The ongoing war against the terrorist forces of Cobra has added a new battleground: Kindle Worlds. Amazon.com's program to allow fan-fiction authors to publish and profit from specific licensed work has added Hasbro's G.I. Joe to a list of properties that already includes Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries and Valiant Entertainment's Unity.

The agreement between Hasbro and Amazon means that fans will be able to publish their own fiction featuring Snake Eyes, Cobra Commander, Zartan and other characters from the toy brand, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

"Whether exploring the secrets of the mummy’s tomb, or defending freedom from the evil plots of COBRA, G.I. Joe has been there,” said Michael Kelly, Hasbro’s director of global publishing, in a statement accompanying the announcement. “It is with equal excitement that Hasbro now enters a new segment of the business by embracing the concept of open-source storytelling, and officially unlocking the world of G.I. Joe to our fans through Amazon’s Kindle Worlds."

"In just a few months since our launch, we’ve published hundreds of new stories with great customer reviews reflecting the high quality of so many of these submissions," explained Nick Loeffler, Kindle Worlds' general manager. "While it's very early, we are thrilled with the initial reception from licensors and readers and look forward to adding additional Worlds soon."